NBC correspondent Bazell to join Yale faculty

Next fall, Yalies will have the opportunity to take classes with award-winning journalist Robert Bazell.

Bazell announced earlier yesterday that he will be leaving his position as NBC News’ chief science and health correspondent to serve as an adjunct professor in the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department. Producing over 4,000 reports for the network since he joined in 1976, Bazell has won hundreds of awards, including a Peabody Award for “the best reporting on science and medicine” and four Emmys. He has reported on the AIDS epidemic from its emergence in the early ’80s, innovations in cancer treatment, and medical care in the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake.

In a Facebook post, Bazell called the decision “wonderfully exciting and bittersweet,” adding that his new position will allow him to continue to pursue his passion for communicating science. The following email obtained by Media Bistro was sent to NBC staff.

From: (NBCUniversal)
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 12:35 PM
Subject: Robert Bazell
All,
As you may have heard, Bob has accepted a position at Yale and will be leaving NBC News this summer.
An outstanding journalist, Bob is the recipient of five Emmys, the Alfred I. DuPont Columbia Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, a Gracie Award, the George Foster Peabody Award, and hundreds of other honors. He is an expert on a wide range of subjects in science, technology and medicine. Bob broke new ground with his coverage of the AIDS epidemic starting back in the early 80s when there were only a handful of cases. He has explained countless critical developments in science and medicine throughout the U.S. and around the world for NBC’s viewers over the years. He earned wide acclaim while covering medical stories during the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti.
In his 38 years at NBC News he has contributed more than 4000 reports. He has had a significant impact on how we report and tell stories at NBC News and we will miss him.
Please join me in thanking our friend and colleague for all his ground-breaking reporting as our Chief Science and Health Correspondent.

Following is a note from Bob:
In my career I have been far luckier than I deserve. My latest piece of good fortune is an offer from Yale to join the faculty as an adjunct professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. To have such an opportunity at this stage of life is a fantastic challenge far too good to resist.
It means, however, that I will be leaving NBC News after almost four decades, a time that for me has been nothing less than a dream come true.
There is a reason almost everyone who writes notes like this talks about “the family,” the people at this wonderful organization who make it all it is. The best thing about television journalism is that you never do it alone. Everything is a cooperative effort. To all of you who have shared your wisdom, your talent, your hard work, all the good times and adventures and above all your friendship I cannot begin to express enough gratitude.
I’ll be around for a while. The transition will take a few months so I’ll have time to say many individual goodbyes, and I hope to see many of you in the time after I move on. Meanwhile thanks again to you all.
All the best,
Bob